A. Situation analysis
Description of the disaster
In Cameroon, a measles epidemic that has been increasing and spreading across the country, with 858 cases now recorded, is now posing significant risk to remote and hard to reach communities. Over the past six weeks, the epidemic has gained momentum in the northern areas of Cameroon which are currently under Boko Haram ‘control’. Of all the recorded cases, the Mokolo health district (Mayo-Tsanaga department) in the Far North region accounts for 587 cases, with a population of 211,906 inhabitants, presents an extremely concerning attack rate – refer to “Figure 1: Mokolo Health District – Cases of measles (Weeks 1 - 41)”. The Mokolo health district is located close to the Chadian and Nigerian border, raising the risk of measles epidemic spreading. It can quickly engulf all the three countries making the situation difficult to address, given the implementation challenges experienced in the areas which are extremely insecure.
Vaccination campaigns (for measles and rubella) aimed at curbing the epidemic are planned nationally. However access and support to the most heavily affected areas in the Far North province remain inaccessible to most actors.
Apart from the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement (RCRC) there are no other known humanitarian actors operating in the Mokolo district, which has experienced incursions suspected to be perpetrated by the Boko Haram militant group.